Musharraf Refused Entry of Democracy in Pakistan
By: Amjad Malik MA, LLM
On 10th of September exiled Premier of Pakistan returned after 7 years on a symbolic Pakistan air line fight number PK 786 from Heathrow. However he was shocked along with his fellow travellers that the mightiest and the most powerful man in Pakistan refused not only his entry but the entry of democracy in Pakistan, and his forced deportation vanished, all the hopes of reviving the democracy and possible exit of the military from current political system peacefully.
I was one of the unfortunate lawyers who inherited a circumstantial brief to assist Mian Nawaz Sharif on plane as well as at airport as how to practically convert his aspirations to submit his self to the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and physically convey his feelings to peace, good will and national reconciliation to his Pakistani people. To me this historic flight carries its passengers by luck like a lottery ticket as no one knows from us as to which plane Mr. Sharif will catch, but all our efforts were unfruitful when all proceedings which were more or less peaceful were halted by a quick army style operation as hit and run which resulted in push and pulls and the deportation of Sharifs as another exile, the term of which is unknown this time.
I would not mention the court order which was violated here as General Musharraf's regime knows no concept of rule of law
as his reign is full of contradictions of his sayings and operations otherwise. Alas his machinery did not learn any lesson from the reference then filed against Chief Justice, operation in Wana and Lal Masjid and 12th May massacre. In fact they restaged the same scene in the capital and made it Beirut though only missing link was dead bodies.
We were dealt with by Sameer, Imran and Tahir the lower ranking officers who hade to go again and again to seek instructions from higher officials. They were less worried about Sharif's entry but more of losing their jobs and the time passed at the airport lounge, composed Sharif won his moral battle against regime by just sitting in economy class with common passengers, travelling in ordinary bus and sitting for over 3 hours in ordinary lounge on an orange sofa and authorities did not even bother to come and talk to him and he was treated like a common thief and forgetting that the man made Pakistan the 7th state that nuclear arsenal and is one of the most popular leader in Pakistan. Instead he reached out towards rear exit on the false pretence that he is arrested administratively and will be produced before accountability court tomorrow.
My faith in rule of law and justice in Pakistan though did not shatter but have started me with the realisation that matrix of military might has almost disabled the state structure and institutions are mortgaged to their strength. 160 million people could not ensure enforcement of Chief Justice and large bench's decision to allow Sharifs to enter and remain and continue politics as they acted like a crowd rather than a nation and preferred to watch Tele at home whilst the regime was shattering all the norms of national and international laws. The historic flight landed, Nawaz Sharif came and was returned leaving very unanswered question but one thing which is undoubted is that unarmed Sharif rattled the confidence of dying regime minute by minute as long as he was waiting entry clearance. Who knows next time he comes like a Khomeini of Iran.
Amjad Malik is a Solicitor-Advocate of the Supreme Court of England & Wales and was representing Mr. Nawaz Sharif throughout his four and a half hour stay at Islamabad airport on 10th of September 2007.